Saturday, 1 September 2012

If you are the kind of person who shouts,
'Don't use a bain-marie!' at Great British Bake Off contestants -
It is shaming to have to admit
That your last four banana cakes have been total disasters.
I mean, banana cake. Everyone can make a banana cake.
(They should have ended up in the bin. But I ate them anyway.
Waist not. Want not.)
So when I saw this recipe in the paper,
I thought I'd have one last try ...
It is a perfect, light, fluffy cake as promised.
I didn't whisk the sugar, eggs and butter -
Because I'd scribbled down the recipe in minuscule shorthand
On a very small Post-it note.
And I didn't decipher that bit until I'd already tipped it all in.
Never mind. It appears to be foolproof.
Just don't use a bain-marie.
Or a pie dolly.